Car sales 2012: Medium cars outsell large

Sales of medium cars surged beyond those of large cars in Australia for the first time in 2012, with the locally produced Toyota Camry leading the charge.

After coming up just short of the large-car segment in 2011 (75,984 versus 78,077), the medium class rocketed past it in 2012. Sales soared 15.4 per cent to 87,674 units, while large cars plummeted to 63,096, down 19.2 per cent from the previous year.

The new-generation Toyota Camry was dominant at the top with 27,230 sales, up 42.1 per cent over 2011. The Camry Hybrid accounted for a quarter of those sales (7107), and would rank second outright in the segment if it was split from the conventional Camry. Backed by a zero per cent finance offer, the Camry Hybrid enjoyed its best sales month in December as 1143 left showrooms – incredibly, humbling the Ford Falcon sedan by 32 units.